Nine charity workers are arrested in Italy ‘for raising millions for Hamas’
Nine people have been arrested in Italy after charities were accused of raising millions for Hamas.
Prosecutors said the group was being held on suspicion of financing the terror group through charities in their country, in an operation coordinated by mafia and counter-terrorism units.
The suspects are accused of being members of and financing Hamas.
Prosecutors alleged those arrested had transferred nearly €7 million (£6.1 million) collected ostensibly for humanitarian purposes over the past two years to Hamas-linked organisations. The police seized assets worth over 8 million euros.
One of the arrested people was stated by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to be Mohammed Hannoun, President of the Palestine Association in Italy.
He was photographed with Greta Thunberg at a pro-Palestinian rally in Rome in November, but it’s important to note that the Swedish activist has not been charged with any crime.
In another statement, police said officers seized 1.08 million euros in cash from the offices of a pro-Palestinian charity and the homes of the suspects, as well as material providing support for Hamas, Israel’s enemy in the two-year Gaza war.
The Italian investigation began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU countries, coordinated through the EU judicial body Eurojust.
Mohammad Hannoun (pictured, right), president of the Palestine Association in Italy, is photographed with Greta Thunberg (pictured, left) at a pro-Palestinian rally in Rome in November.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked authorities for a ‘particularly complex and important operation’ that revealed Hamas’ financing through ‘so-called aid organisations’.
Israeli intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies contributed to Italian law enforcement by providing information and evidence through established and agreed channels, the Israeli defense ministry said on Sunday.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel will go after every terrorist and everyone who supports them, even abroad, and that those who think they can finance terrorism and remain secret are mistaken.
Meloni’s right-wing government is one of Israel’s strongest allies in Europe. Israel’s support for its war with Hamas has triggered large and repeated street protests in Italy.
Italian pro-Palestinian activists protested the arrests with a march in Milan on Saturday, condemning police action as part of a campaign of ‘repression and criminalization’.
Young Palestinians of Italy and the Arab-Palestinian Democratic Union said that Palestinians, like all peoples seeking self-determination, have the legitimate right to resist and that it is unfair to label such resistance as ‘terrorism’.
Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the region’s health ministry. It was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people, according to Israeli records.
